Rangers vs. Kraken: Lineups, storylines seeking ‘passion … purpose’
Coming off a complete beatdown in their previous game, the New York Rangers try again to get back on track Monday, when they host the Seattle Kraken at Madison Square Garden.
Considering the Rangers lack of depth and host of players sidelined by injury, there aren’t many wholesale changes coach Mike Sullivan can make after a 10-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. But Sullivan won’t stand pat after the modern-day “Boston Massacre,” either.
Popular forward Matt Rempe comes out of the lineup Monday, top-six staple Alexis Lafreniere drops to the third line, and Taylor Raddysh bumps down to the fourth line.
Brennan Othmann, recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday, draws in and replaces Rempe in the lineup and Raddysh on the third line. Rookie Gabe Perreault moves into the top six to take Lafreniere’s spot on a line with Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller.
No matter who’s in and who’s out, what kind of response does Sullivan need to see from the Rangers after that embarrassment up in Boston?
“We’re looking for playing the game with passion and playing the game with purpose. We want to play hard. We’ve got to be willing to skate. We’ve got to initiate contact. That’s what we’re talking about when we say passion,” Sullivan stated after the morning skate.
“But we also have to have strong positional play and good stick detail and being in the right spots in all three zones, and collective effort knowing your job, and doing your job, whether it be a face-off responsibility or D-zone coverage or things of that nature. That’s the response.”
Jonathan Quick, who surrendered the first six goals Saturday before being pulled in favor of Spencer Martin, starts his third straight game in goal for the Rangers (20-20-6), who’ve lost three straight (0-2-1) since that rousing 5-1 Winter Classic victory over the Florida Panthers outdoors in Miami.
They’ve lost seven of eight, and own two regulation victories in their past 17 games, dating to Dec. 6.
The Rangers did skate to an exciting 3-2 overtime win against the Kraken in Seattle back on Nov. 1. Will Cuylle scored the winner, one of seven OT victories for New York this season. The Blueshirts are 7-1-1 all-time against them.
The Kraken (20-15-8) currently hold the first wild card in the Western Conference, largely because of their recent 8-1-2 hot streak. However, the Kraken lost two straight (0-1-1) coming into this game, including 3-2 at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.
3 storylines when Rangers host Kraken
1. New variation of Kid Line
Lafreniere knows quite a bit about playing on the Kid Line. He had some early-career success on that third line with Filip Chytil, and Kaapo Kakko, who coincidentally returns to MSG with the Kraken on Monday.
But now, Lafreniere, 24, is the greybeard on the new-look Kid Line, which includes Othmann (23) and rookie center Noah Laba (22). It’s also disappointing he’s back in the bottom-six, 426 games into his NHL career and in the first season of a seven-year, $52.15 million contract.
Dropping Lafreniere down balances the lines a bit for the top-heavy Rangers, and also gives Perreault a fair shake in the top six. But Sullivan pointed out “part of it’s performance-based, too.”
Lafreniere has nine goals and 24 points in 46 games.
“We think he’s capable of next level play. We’re trying to find a way to to get him there, and that’s part of this process that we’re going through,” Sullivan stated.
2. Otter opportunity
This is the fourth recall from the minors this season for Othmann. However, he’s played just six games and averaged 8:10 TOI, pretty much exclusively on the fourth line. Lacking confidence and struggling defensively in the NHL, Othmann simply didn’t earn Sullivan’s trust this season.
But the Rangers need more grit and offense in their lineup. So, Othmann is back, and the timing to play him in the top nine is excellent. The 2021 first-rounder has six goals and nine points in his past 11 AHL games with Hartford, his most productive stretch of the season. The hope is that this success transfers finally to the NHL level, where’s he’s yet to score a goal in 31 games over three seasons.
Too often Othmann’s landed on the fourth line. The Rangers must find out if there’s a productive NHL player there, and skating with Lafreniere and Laba is his best chance yet.
“He’s played very well as of late down in Hartford. We’re hoping he can bring some energy, give us some juice,” Sullivan explained. “We’re looking for players to earn their way onto the roster. If they can make an impact, they get a chance to play.”
3. Homecoming
A pair of former Rangers return to the Garden for the first time Monday. Kakko, who was traded to the Kraken in December of 2024, played six seasons with the Rangers, after they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He recently surpassed 400 games played in the NHL and earned his 100th assist. Though sidelined twice by injury this season, Kakko has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 27 games with the Kraken.
Ryan Lindgren played all or parts of seven seasons with the Rangers, before they shipped the heart-and-soul defenseman to the Colorado Avalanche ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Adam Fox’s longtime top-pair partner averages 19:01 TOI with the Kraken and has six points (one goal, five assists) in 43 games. He’s second on the Kraken with 73 blocked shots.
“I loved my time here, everything about it. I loved living in the city. I loved playing here at MSG. We were fortunate to have a lot of success over the last couple years,” Lindgren told reporters after the morning skate.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Artemi Panarin — Mika Zibanejad — Will Cuylle
J.T. Miller — Vincent Trocheck — Gabe Perreault
Brennan Othmann — Noah Laba — Alexis Lafreniere
Jonny Brodzinski — Sam Carrick –Taylor Raddysh
Vladislav Gavrikov — Braden Schneider
Carson Soucy – Scott Morrow
Matthew Robertson – Will Borgen
Jonathan Quick
Spencer Martin
Rangers vs. Kraken: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Seattle Kraken
When: Monday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG
